Bishop Eddie Long, Why Do Pastors Get a Pass?

In response to the request of several people wanting an explanation (religious, biblical or otherwise) on the video of the coronation of Bishop Eddie Long, we here at Rhetoric Race and Religion will collect responses and place them on our blog. If there are responses you find, please share them with us. Thanks


One of the top stories at my station this morning was the story of a Pastor, recently released from prison on sexual assault charges of two young girls, returning to the pulpit. The man is a registered sex offender. Children who attend his services are sent to another building as the pastor can not have any contact with them. Even with the precautions in place the story disgusted me. After watching and reading through it the first time, and then over and over again all morning, I just started to wonder why were people at the pastor’s new church taking up for him. They were belligerent that the reporter at my station was even doing the story. The nerve of us for wondering why a registered sex offender is allowed to preach from the good book.


I know. I know. I know. Let he without sin cast the first stone. I’m not trying to judge the pastor I’m just trying to understand why in a society where Jerry Sandusky’s name will be marred for the rest of his life how is it a small time Jacksonville, Florida pastor is able to escape his local public’s wrath unscathed. Even on a larger scale how is it preacher’s and pastors in the public eye — as pillars of their community — seem to never get dirty, never get messy, even though from the knee down their covered in the doo.